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DiagnosisYour doctor will evaluate your symptoms to determine whether you have flu or a cold. If you are sneezing and have a stuffy nose, you may have a cold. Flu is more likely to cause fever, coughing, chills and muscle aches. It also is more seasonal than colds. Flu tends to occur during winter months, whereas colds occur all year long. Most of the time, doctors assume the diagnosis is flu when you have symptoms of influenza in the winter. If your symptoms or findings on physical examination suggest something other then the flu, your doctor may order blood tests and swab your nose and throat to send secretions to the laboratory for specific influenza testing. Your doctor may order a chest X-ray if he or she suspects that the influenza virus has caused a lung infection (pneumonia) or may lead to a bacterial superinfection.
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From Health A-Z, Harvard Health Publications. Copyright 2007 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Written permission is required to reproduce, in any manner, in whole or in part, the material contained herein. To make a reprint request, contact Harvard Health Publications. Used with permission of StayWell.
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